The competition was set for two days later at Dawn Town Restaurant.

The system would randomly select several NPCs and players present for a tasting session. Subsequently, the goods would be listed for system-assessed grading.

Three rounds of competition, best of three. For firearms or armor, the three rounds would evaluate practicality, durability, and aesthetics. But food was different—meaning Jian Xingyi and Blue Sky and White Clouds would each need to prepare three dishes.

Jian Xingyi had no idea what Blue Sky and White Clouds had prepared—perhaps their prized meat or the mangoes they’d stolen from him?

Surely they wouldn’t be that brazen…

But Jian Xingyi had his own plans. With six fully cultivated plots now, nearly every ingredient he possessed could be put to use!

Carrots, radishes, wheat, rice, chili peppers—and now spring bamboo shoots too!

Jian Xingyi happily sowed seeds, bought fertilizer, and tended to everything meticulously, waiting for them to be put to use in two days.

After finishing all this and seeing the others leave, Jian Xingyi buried himself in his bedding.

After spending a day and night at Peace Mountain, returning to his warm bed now made Jian Xingyi feel utterly blissful.

Jian Xingyi stretched his body. His wounds were slowly healing under the effects of the medicine. Last night, due to the flood, he hadn’t slept well at all. He desperately needed sleep and rest.

But before sleeping, he had to clarify one thing.

Jian Xingyi opened the skill menu on his terminal.

He was just testing his luck, but unexpectedly, his Turn Stone into Gold skill menu had actually updated!

Scrolling to the bottom of the skill description, he saw the following text.

【Players can also be extracted for essence, with a maximum of 100 and a minimum that may turn negative. Negative values will be deducted from existing essence reserves—extraction should be approached with caution. As humans are emotional beings, the amount of essence each individual can provide varies based on their feelings toward you.】

Jian Xingyi stared at this description for a long time before suddenly realizing.

Put simply… It’s just a goodwill meter! The higher someone’s feelings toward you, the more essence they give!

This explained everything. Because he saved Haihai, he harbored immense gratitude toward him before his identity was exposed—a full 15 points.

Baizhou and Heiye also had favorable impressions of him, granting 20 points. As for 0 points, Feiyi, since they were unfamiliar and had little interaction, he received 0 points.

He surmised that if he extracted essence from those who disliked him—like the group of Blue Sky and White Clouds—he’d actually lose essence points.

Since every living being could only be extracted once, logic dictated it would be more advantageous to deepen his relationship with someone before extraction. But now he desperately needed essence, and Jian Xingyi lacked confidence in raising that value.

Jian Xingyi thought to himself: he was just one plot of land—50 essence points—away from his goal.

Yet he knew too few people in this game, and even fewer with whom he was truly close with. The only ones left untapped were Lone Wolf and Chacha.

But Lone Wolf had left town these past two days, also for forging firearms.

Jian Xingyi sighed. At least six plots would suffice for the competition in two days.

Two days later, Heiye and his group made a special trip back to accompany Jian Xingyi to Dawn Town.

Jian Xingyi had already earned 30,000 experience points for the guild. During the first week, everyone had collectively boosted their combat power by nearly 10,000. Barring any mishaps, they could likely achieve another 10,000 in the second week. Combined, that would total 50,000.

The guns for Lone Wolf and Heiye were still in production, potentially adding tens of thousands more.

The bulk… would still come from Jian Xingyi’s end.

The competition required three types of food. If all three were listed at full price for ten or so cans each, helping Jian Xingyi reach 100,000 wouldn’t be a problem.

In other words, the guild’s survival… hinges on today.

Returning to Dawn Town Restaurant, Jian Xingyi found it surprisingly crowded.

Besides the Blue Sky and White Clouds group occupying a table, some onlookers had gathered.

Firelight was there too, seated beside a man—likely another from Grapevine Peak.

“That person…” Heiye whispered into Jian Xingyi’s ear, “Sitting next to Firelight… looks like it’s Le Ke, one of the TOP 11 full-power players, Shanhai’s partner.”

Jian Xingyi blinked.

There sat Le Ke, legs crossed nonchalantly beside Firelight, looking decidedly expectant.

Dressed in a brown trench coat, his features carried a hint of carefree charm—almost refined, making it hard to believe he ranked among the Top 11.

Jian Xingyi’s impression was that top-tier players should be all muscle. Like Firelight, who looked pretty much like… a sports-type senior.

Baizhou frowned in confusion. “Why would they be here?”

Are the big shots that bored? Just here to join the fun?

“Probably not for fun… During one round of the three-stage selection, the system invites eligible players to vote. I think… Le Ke and Firelight might have been invited because they spent a significant amount at the restaurant.”

Jian Xingyi understood. These were two restaurant VIPs selected by the system. But spending money on unreasonably expensive food at a restaurant was proof enough of their wealth.

Jian Xingyi and the others sat down at a table across from Blue Sky and White Clouds. For the first time, Jian Xingyi faced his “opponents” directly.

A couple sat cooing and cuddling nearby. The girl, sweet-faced, was cooing at the guy—probably Rongrong and Yiyi.

He had met Haihai before; he sat in the farthest corner, head bowed to avoid Jian Xingyi’s gaze.

The tall, bright-eyed girl seated at the head of the table was likely Sisi. Beside her sat a bespectacled man—a figure Jian Xingyi recognized from his days at Blue Sky and White Clouds. He was the Guild President who rarely handled affairs, instead chasing after Sisi like a puppy.

Heiye and Baizhou glanced at the lineup across from them, exchanging puzzled looks.

A couple, a pair of sycophants and their goddess, and a random bystander.

Quite… hard to judge.

“Shop around to get the best deal; walk the path three times to know it well. Welcome to the Merchant Competition.” A man in a suit and white gloves announced in a monotone voice: “The competing merchants are Blue Sky and White Clouds’ Sisi and Long Live A Hundred Years Xinghe. The competition consists of three rounds of food items, with rarity levels increasing from low to high.”

The man was clearly an NPC. Dawnbreaker’s NPCs were crafted to be indistinguishable from humans, but only NPCs would dress this formally and ceremoniously. After all, few players would wear gloves and cufflinks during the apocalypse. His speech pattern gave him away.

“For each round, the system will first score the dishes out of 100 points, with the remaining 100 points determined by live audience voting.“

”For Round One, the system will randomly select ten individuals outside the Competitors’ Guild as voters. Each voter holds 10 points. Please cast your votes carefully!”

Jian Xingyi and Sisi each carried their large platters of food to the central table in the restaurant.

Jian Xingyi presented a dual-pickled radish dish—white and carrot chunks soaked in brine, offering a soft yet pleasantly crunchy texture that looked fresh and tempting.

Sisi served pickled mangoes, sliced into vibrant, appetizing pieces.

After the NPC terminal scanned the dishes, the results appeared.

【Xinghe】 Competitor Analysis Complete: Ingredients – Average, Farmland – Average, Score: 70.

【Sisi】 Competitor Analysis Complete: Ingredients – Average, Farmland – Poor, Score: 50.

Sisi froze.

Jian Xingyi raised an eyebrow, a hint of smugness in his expression.

Stealing his ingredients to compete against him—the food he prepared was indeed excellent. But without his own farmland, how could she possibly win?

Heiye burst into laughter, declaring loudly, “Everyone saw that! Our Xinghe food system confirmed it’s safe! How could eating it cause infection? The test results even show it’s superior to Blue Sky and White Clouds!”

Rongrong snorted coldly in a high-pitched voice, “The system tests the rarity level of food and land—it never said infection was a factor!”

Heiye folded his arms. “Come on, little sister, would infected food really get high scores?”

Rongrong retorted, “No one can say for sure how the system judges things! I’m not taking any chances!”

An NPC’s voice cut through their argument: “Next, players who received the voting link in their terminal mailbox, please try both dishes and make your selection.”

The chosen players, thrilled at getting a free meal, swarmed the table to grab Blue Sky and White Clouds’ mangoes.

A short, plump man ate while staring dumbly at Sisi. “Sisi, I’ve been following you for ages! Your cooking is amazing!”

Sisi tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and smiled softly.

Jian Xingyi frowned slightly.

The players dared not try his food.

If they were too scared to try it, how could anyone possibly vote for him?

Heiye snorted, “This food is totally fine! You’ll regret not eating it!”

With that, he popped a slice into his own mouth. “Our entire guild has eaten Xinghe’s cooking. If what you’re saying is true, then we should all be infected by now, right?”

The short, stout man who’d been fawning over Sisi retorted, “We’re all on the same team—who’d believe that? What if he’s just putting on a show?”

Just then, Haihai suddenly stepped forward. “I can test it for everyone.”

Everyone was stunned.

This… He’s the vice-guild president of Blue Sky and White Clouds. Why would he volunteer to test poison for the enemy?

Gossipy expressions spread across faces, some filled with doubt and uncertainty.

Maybe it really isn’t poisoned…? That would be a huge mistake!

Meanwhile, the rest of Blue Sky and White Clouds’ members turned grim.

For a moment, the dining hall was filled with a mix of emotions.